Apple TV 4K experience?

desiibond said:
That makes all the difference. Have mi 4k at moms place and airtel xstream box android TV at my home. Both were fast but within a month, they lag so much that it is a major pita to use them. If apple TV can remain lag free for year or two, better pay more and get that one.
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Your fire stick 4k lags? Better buy the newer model, I am using the one which is about 1.5 years old and no lag.

Also not all android tv are going to be the same especially not the one as inferior as airtel xstream box. If you don't want to buy a fire tv for some reason and want to spend 20k, you can go for the nvidea shield pro and that will not lag. Even fire stick as I said hardly lags and it is 1/3 the price of apple tv or Nvidia shield
 
If price or value for money is the only criteria then hardly any of the Apple products make sense, not just Apple TV (except maybe a Mac). It's definitely better to get the Fire Stick.

However if you are deep in an Apple ecosystem then an Apple TV is very much a value product for you. You clearly don't mind paying 3x for the Apple TV since have already bought expensive Apple devices and cost is not a consideration. You also have paid for Apple Music and iCloud storage and would like to use the same fully synced across your devices, apple TV included. You would like to control the Apple TV via your Apple watch, your iPhone, your iPad or just the Apple TV remote. And so on..
 
Renegade said:
If price or value for money is the only criteria then hardly any of the Apple products make sense, not just Apple TV (except maybe a Mac). It's definitely better to get the Fire Stick.

However if you are deep in an Apple ecosystem then an Apple TV is very much a value product for you. You clearly don't mind paying 3x for the Apple TV since have already bought expensive Apple devices and cost is not a consideration. You also have paid for Apple Music and iCloud storage and would like to use the same fully synced across your devices, apple TV included. You would like to control the Apple TV via your Apple watch, your iPhone, your iPad or just the Apple TV remote. And so on..
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While you are correct but some people like me have use of specific 3rd party apps that only are available on Android so for that reason I personally don't see myself buying apple tv. But to each to its own.
 
I just want to add that there is not a substantial difference between the 2021 4k ATV and the previous generation in terms of hardware capability - So if there is a big price difference - Maybe better to get the older one. Also am of the opinion that FireTV/MiBox is a better and more cost effective option that will satisfy most general use cases unless you absolutely need something that is Apple TV exclusive. As mentioned if you're deep in the ecosystem - it would make more and more sense
However my recommendation having all 3 would still be to get a NUC and use it as a HTPC. It is game changer and is very easy to get into - Will even cost less than the ATV. Added benefit is the NUC can be used as a home server enabling all kinds of other fun projects & automations (Including stuff like homebridge / Home assistant that will give you native:ish Apple Experience)
 
y2s said:
I just want to add that there is not a substantial difference between the 2021 4k ATV and the previous generation in terms of hardware capability - So if there is a big price difference - Maybe better to get the older one. Also am of the opinion that FireTV/MiBox is a better and more cost effective option that will satisfy most general use cases unless you absolutely need something that is Apple TV exclusive. As mentioned if you're deep in the ecosystem - it would make more and more sense
However my recommendation having all 3 would still be to get a NUC and use it as a HTPC. It is game changer and is very easy to get into - Will even cost less than the ATV. Added benefit is the NUC can be used as a home server enabling all kinds of other fun projects & automations (Including stuff like homebridge / Home assistant that will give you native:ish Apple Experience)
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nothing against HTPCs - but they are not a game changer...the streaming boxes technically are the game changer..
Some of the older folks here would have gone through 2 or 3 or more iterations of DIY HTPCs (incl NUCs) in the last 2 decades - till streaming boxes came along and voila, good riddance! :)

desiibond said:
That makes all the difference. Have mi 4k at moms place and airtel xstream box android TV at my home. Both were fast but within a month, they lag so much that it is a major pita to use them. If apple TV can remain lag free for year or two, better pay more and get that one.
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While ATV has remained lag free (both HD and 4K) for me for many years now, to be fair the same is largely true for FS 4K
FS 4K , purely from a VFM perspective is way above anything else
but again, the ATV 4K is an overall better option if the price premium is not a factor in consideration
 
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Renegade said:
If price or value for money is the only criteria then hardly any of the Apple products make sense, not just Apple TV (except maybe a Mac). It's definitely better to get the Fire Stick.

However if you are deep in an Apple ecosystem then an Apple TV is very much a value product for you. You clearly don't mind paying 3x for the Apple TV since have already bought expensive Apple devices and cost is not a consideration. You also have paid for Apple Music and iCloud storage and would like to use the same fully synced across your devices, apple TV included. You would like to control the Apple TV via your Apple watch, your iPhone, your iPad or just the Apple TV remote. And so on..
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honestly when i bought apple tv originally nothing else supported dolby vision. even today very few players support both dolby vision and atmos. shield isn’t any cheaper than apple tv btw. before apple tv i used to have google tv. worked well until i wanted to switch to dolby vision.
 
superczar said:
nothing against HTPCs - but they are not a game changer...the streaming boxes technically are the game changer..
Some of the older folks here would have gone through 2 or 3 or more iterations of DIY HTPCs (incl NUCs) in the last 2 decades - till streaming boxes came along and voila, good riddance! :)



While ATV has remained lag free (both HD and 4K) for me for many years now, to be fair the same is largely true for FS 4K
FS 4K , purely from a VFM perspective is way above anything else
but again, the ATV 4K is an overall better option if the price premium is not a factor in consideration
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Fair point. HTPC's have been around for many years and the streaming boxes have indeed been the innovation in the last few years . What I was trying to mean was that after several years of using Apple TV, FireTV & Mibox - Switching to an NUC with a living room wireless keyboard has been game changer for me in the way I use the TV (I went from the streamers to HTPC & not the other way around as I suppose a lot of the others have).
It allows me to do most of what I can on the streamers whilst providing a full desktop experience & acting as a mini home server of sorts. Of course this option would require a lot more time to set up and maintain to ones liking - as compared to ATV etc being completely plug and play. I have definitely had my fair share of problems & frustrations over the years - but irrespective of that I think it has been worth it. The HTPC has surprisingly become my single most used computer beating out my Laptop, Tablet & Gaming PC. So much so that a couple of years ago I upgraded it from a base i3 NUC to a fully loaded Hades Canyon one. :) Now considering replacing that with an M1 mac mini -

Just my 2 cents based on my experience. Of course this may not be ideal or recommended for everyone depending on their use case / requirements or budget.
 
Renegade said:
If price or value for money is the only criteria then hardly any of the Apple products make sense, not just Apple TV (except maybe a Mac). It's definitely better to get the Fire Stick.

However if you are deep in an Apple ecosystem then an Apple TV is very much a value product for you. You clearly don't mind paying 3x for the Apple TV since have already bought expensive Apple devices and cost is not a consideration. You also have paid for Apple Music and iCloud storage and would like to use the same fully synced across your devices, apple TV included. You would like to control the Apple TV via your Apple watch, your iPhone, your iPad or just the Apple TV remote. And so on..
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I disagree. I have been using an iPhone for more than 5yrs now and I will not go back to Android no matter what. Same for macs. But when it comes to TVs or smart speakers, Apple devices are really not competitive either on features or price. There is a reason that AppleTV and Homepods don't sell like hotcakes like other Apple products.

A phone is used for a lot of purposes throughout the day. As a software professional, I use my MacBook too a lot. Both these devices need to be fast and lag-free but when it comes to TVs, I would just tune in to some content and let it be, a bit of lag really doesn't make a difference.
Apple music and icloud dependency, I can understand if that is compulsory for you, then there is simply no other choice.
 
The solution for apple music is attaching a repurposed airport express to your tv/receiver. If you have a HTPC - you can install a AirPlay receiver and even iTunes natively. You can do the same on Android streamers. It’s not nearly as seem less as just having an Apple TV though. I genuinely feel the Apple TV is a little overpriced for what it offers. Even for someone deeply entrenched in the apple ecosysytem. Edit: Just realized that it is possible to chromecast Apple Music (But only from an android phone sadly).

Also I have to wonder if streamers are required at all for casual viewing these days(especially so for someone that has bought a newer model tv) . Most of not all 4k TV’s these days come with very acceptable software for streaming purposes.
 
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y2s said:
I genuinely feel the Apple TV is a little overpriced for what it offers. Even for someone deeply entrenched in the apple ecosysytem.
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Exactly. I own an iPhone, a MacBook pro, both AirPods and AirPods Pro, and an Apple watch but I never saw any value in the Apple TV or the HomePod. I don't watch TV anyways, and for my parents, the Fire TV stick suffices
 
pauldmps said:
I disagree. I have been using an iPhone for more than 5yrs now and I will not go back to Android no matter what. Same for macs. But when it comes to TVs or smart speakers, Apple devices are really not competitive either on features or price. There is a reason that AppleTV and Homepods don't sell like hotcakes like other Apple products.

A phone is used for a lot of purposes throughout the day. As a software professional, I use my MacBook too a lot. Both these devices need to be fast and lag-free but when it comes to TVs, I would just tune in to some content and let it be, a bit of lag really doesn't make a difference.
Apple music and icloud dependency, I can understand if that is compulsory for you, then there is simply no other choice.
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Some things are not necessarily about the premium % alone but the absolute cost too.
In the bigger scheme of things, I don't mind paying 10K extra for a streaming box - if it adds discernible quality or convenience improvements.
With the ATV, the improvements are subtle but well noticeable (even if you take the ATMOS aspect out).

Given the amount already spent on the AV setup, an extra 10K for convenience/ better UX - why not?
After all so many people would have spent equal or more money just for the convenience of say a harmony hub remote

WIth smart speakers, the improvement is quite drastic. The 10K extra for a homepod yields significantly fuller/ richer sound than the competition.

Is the 200% premium worth it? That's a question only an individual can answer . I personally wouldn't be too sure if we were talking 100K vs 200K but hey, for 5K vs 15K (for example), it sure is
 
superczar said:
Is the 200% premium worth it? That's a question only an individual can answer . I personally wouldn't be too sure if we were talking 100K vs 200K but hey, for 5K vs 15K (for example), it sure is
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Expanding on that, I think a 3k OnePlus pods is equivalent to a 21k ipods pro for my usage. I don't bother to understand why anyone would buy that. Esp something that has high probability of getting lost. But would I have bought it if it were selling for 9k, most likely.

Similarly, is the 18k ATV equivalent to a 6k FS4K in terms of normal usage, most likely. Will I still buy the ATV, most likely.
y2s said:
They have not announced it. You can possibly consider importing it from the states thru the forum member or other services. Will probably be both faster & cheaper.
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Maybe in a pre corona world. Right now it's faster to wait. :p
 
superczar said:
Some things are not necessarily about the premium % alone but the absolute cost too.
In the bigger scheme of things, I don't mind paying 10K extra for a streaming box - if it adds discernible quality or convenience improvements.
With the ATV, the improvements are subtle but well noticeable (even if you take the ATMOS aspect out).

Given the amount already spent on the AV setup, an extra 10K for convenience/ better UX - why not?
After all so many people would have spent equal or more money just for the convenience of say a harmony hub remote

WIth smart speakers, the improvement is quite drastic. The 10K extra for a homepod yields significantly fuller/ richer sound than the competition.

Is the 200% premium worth it? That's a question only an individual can answer . I personally wouldn't be too sure if we were talking 100K vs 200K but hey, for 5K vs 15K (for example), it sure is
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Hope you are not comparing it to nest mini or small echo speakers. Full size Amazon speakers and Google nest, I would bet the full size speakers are better and cost the same as small apple speaker

That is the whole point of moving away from apple, not to spend less but get a lot more for what apple will cost
 
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Renegade said:
Expanding on that, I think a 3k OnePlus pods is equivalent to a 21k ipods pro for my usage. I don't bother to understand why anyone would buy that. Esp something that has high probability of getting lost. But would I have bought it if it were selling for 9k, most likely.

Similarly, is the 18k ATV equivalent to a 6k FS4K in terms of normal usage, most likely. Will I still buy the ATV, most likely.

Maybe in a pre corona world. Right now it's faster to wait. :p
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Another thing to consider is that Fire stick 4K (and others) go on sale reducing that 6K even more during prime day and Diwali sales. You cannot expect Apple tv to ever go on any sale.
 
raksrules said:
Another thing to consider is that Fire stick 4K (and others) go on sale reducing that 6K even more during prime day and Diwali sales. You cannot expect Apple tv to ever go on any sale.
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Oh is it I have seen many apple products sold in India go on sale. iphones regularly go on sale in India for as much as 40-50% off their launch prices. airpods too have gone on sale so many times
 
msankadi said:
Oh is it I have seen many apple products sold in India go on sale. iphones regularly go on sale in India for as much as 40-50% off their launch prices. airpods too have gone on sale so many times
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Well it depends a lot of how old products are. This apple tv surely won't go on sale. It's like asking for the macbook M1 Air to be 40% off which probably will never happen.

But you can be sure that firestick and other amazon devices will definitely go on sale 2-3 times in a year.
 
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